The present invention relates to a method and system with breadboard and associated magnetic holders used to design, build, and test prototype electrical circuits and is especially useful to teach the technology of electronics.
Electrical circuits are typically prototyped using a printed circuit board which is commonly referred to as a breadboard. A typical breadboard contains a plurality of plated through holes that are coupled to conductive pins or shorting clips. Discrete electrical components are soldered and coupled together by wires which are wrapped around corresponding pins or inserted into the holes of the shorting clips. The discrete components may include integrated circuits, individual transistors, resistors, capacitors, diodes, transformers, batteries, light emitting diodes, and they are all connected to create an electrical circuit.
In the case of wire wrapped breadboards connecting together individual components is a time consuming process, typically requiring the user to wire wrap and/or solder each lead of each component. The final layout for this method may have many wires crossing and will not resemble the final layout of a finished printed circuit board used in production. Parts cannot be removed easily to study the effect of such a removal or demonstrate their function.
In the case of breadboards that use shorting clips, each connection wire must be inserted into the proper shorting clip hole as the circuit is being built. The shorting clips are usually very close to each other and the final layout very rarely resembles the layout of the production circuit. After many parts are connected it may be difficult or even impossible to remove devices buried under the wires used to interconnect the parts. Also the circuit on this type of breadboard is very difficult to trace for errors.
It would be desirable to provide a breadboard with associated electronic device holders which would considerably reduce the time needed to construct, test, and modify a prototype circuit. It is even more desirable if the final breadboard layout resembled the production circuit with a multi-layer breadboard having components visible above the conductive paths and similar to the final board layout to be used in production type circuits.
It is, therefore, desirable to provide an improved circuit board and method of constructing the same, which attains the preceding objectives and overcomes most, if not all, of the preceding problems.
An improved method and apparatus for building and testing electronic circuits is provided which is user-friendly, easy to install and assemble, and fun. Advantageously, the reliable method and apparatus for building and testing electronic circuits provides a convenient breadboard with associated electronic device holders which can considerably reduce the time needed to construct, test and modify an electronic circuit. Desirably, the final breadboard layout can resemble a production circuit with a single or multi-layer breadboard having components visible above the conductive paths so as to appear similar to the final board layout to be used in production type circuits. The attractive and convenient method and apparatus for building and testing electronic circuits can be in the form of a kit and is especially useful to teach the technology of electronics.
One method of constructing a magnetically attractive circuit board can comprise: positioning conductive paths on an insulating material by attaching conductive metallic foil on one side of the insulating material, and placing the other side of the insulated material over a magnetically attractive material. The circuit board can comprise multiple layers in which the conductive metallic foil is crossed and insulting portions comprising insulating tape are placed between the conductive metallic foil at a location where the foil is crossed to separate and insulate the crossed foil. The conductive metallic foil can also be partially or fully wrapped around the insulating material in order to make contact with pads, preferably magnetically attractive pads, to make connection to off board modules. In the preferred method, the desired circuit is printed on the insulating material.
The improved circuit board can comprise: electrical components with leads providing contacts, conductors for connecting the electrical components, and magnets to secure the contacts of the electrical components to the conductors. The improved circuit board can have a breadboard comprising a magnetically attractive material. Desirably, the circuit board assembly can also include magnet-containing holders to hold the electronic components, as well as contain the magnets. Preferably, the magnets are of sufficient magnetic strength to securely engage the magnetically attractive material of the breadboard. The conductors preferably comprise conductive metallic foil, which can be bent around or wrapped over an edge of the insulating material. In the preferred form, a case is provided to house the electronic components. Various modules can be mounted to the case, such as: power sources, signal generators, test equipment, speakers, switches, logic level indicators, modems, cables, amplifiers, transistors, regulators, filters, oscillators, converters, rectifiers, drivers, detectors, modulators, timers, phase lock loops, integrators, differentiators, sample and hold circuits, integrated circuits, and/or batteries.
In the preferred form, an apparatus is provided to build or test an electronic circuit. The portable lightweight apparatus can include a circuit board, an electronic circuit, and an insulating support. The circuit board can provide a breadboard which can comprise a substantially solid and imperforate solid electrically conductive support with a magnetically engageable surface. The electrically conductive support preferably comprises a magnetically attractive material to engage and be attracted to one or more natural magnets. The magnetically attractive material can comprise a sheet of metal fabricated of steel or iron.
The electronic circuit desirably comprises one or more electronic devices connected to electrical conductors. The electronic devices can comprise one or more electronic components with leads that provide electrical contacts to engage the conductors. The conductors preferably comprise electrically conductive metallic foil which is positioned between the electronic devices and the breadboard. If desired, the metallic foil conductors can cross over each other and be separated from each other at an intersection by insulating tape. The electronic components can comprise one or more resistors, capacitors, diodes, light-emitting diodes, transistors, inductors, integrated circuits, batteries, switches, lamps, lights, transformers, speakers, amplifiers, logic level indicators, regulators, signal filters, oscillators, converters, rectifiers, modulators, drivers, detectors, integrators, differentiators, timers, microprocessors, central processing units, computers, calculators, testers, phase lock loops, audible signaling devices, and/or visual signaling devices.
The insulating support can comprise an electrical insulating non-magnetic material, which is positioned between a substantial amount of the conductors and the breadboard. The insulating support can have a conductor-engaging support surface to engage and support a substantial amount of the conductors, and can have a breadboard-facing surface to engage the magnetically engageable surface of the electrically conductive support of the breadboard. The insulating support can comprise a flexible sheet of insulating material comprising paper, paperboard, plastic, tape, or rubber. In the preferred form, the conductor-engaging support surface of the insulating support has a diagram of the electronic circuit printed thereon. The electrically conductive metallic foil can be secured to the conductor-engaging support surface of the insulating support by one or more connectors, such as by adhesive tape, transparent tape, electrical tape, velcro-type fasteners, glue, or adhesive.
The user-friendly apparatus also includes one or more natural magnets to magnetically engage the magnetically engageable surface of the electrically conductive support of the breadboard to secure the insulating support to the magnetically engageable surface of the breadboard, as well as to securely connect the electrical contacts to the electrically conductive metallic foil conductors. Advantageously, one or more holders are provided to hold the magnets and support the electronic devices to removably and detachably connect the electronic devices to the electrically conductive metallic foil conductors of the electronic circuit.
The breadboard can comprise a single or multiple layer (multi-layer) circuit board with metallic foil conductors that can be connected to magnetically attractive pads. As discussed previously, electrical contacts between the pads and the metallic foil conductors can be made by bending or wrapping the foil over an edge of the sheet oft insulating material. The electronic components are preferably supported by component holders which contain magnets that are attracted to the breadboard. The component holders facilitate attachment of the electronic components to the metallic foil conductors.
Desirably, a prototype circuit can be built by selecting the desired component holder, plugging the electronic component into the component holder, and then attaching the component holder to the breadboard on the proper foil conductor to complete the electronic circuit. The metallic foil conductors can also be magnetically pressed against the magnetically attractive pads to make connection to off board power and signal sources or outputs.
A prototype circuit can be built with the present invention, such as by first designing the board layout. Electronic components can be placed on the printed circuit board. The interconnecting circuit paths can then be sketched or printed onto the surface of the insulating material that will be used as the circuit board. Metallic foil, such as comprising a metal foil tape with glue on one side, can be placed over the printed or sketched or printed paths. A plastic insulating tape can be placed between overlapping metal foil tapes to prevent shorts. The metal foil tape can be folded over the edge of the insulating material to make contact to pads under the edges of the breadboard. The insulating material with metal foil tape attached thereto can then be placed on a magnetically attractive surface with the metal foil tape under the board aligned to corresponding input, output, or power pads.
After the breadboard is fabricated and placed into a case, the electronic components to be interconnected can be placed into their corresponding magnet-containing holders. These holders can then placed on the metallic foil in the proper locations to complete the desired circuit. Desirably, the magnets are pulled toward the magnetically attractive surface under the insulating material to force the leads of each component into the(conductive foil paths with enough force to complete the circuit contacts. A circuit constructed in this manner greatly reduces the time required to build a prototype circuit and allows for easy movement and removal of parts.
The pads that make contact to the metallic foil folded over the edge of the breadboard can be used to provide power and other signals to the breadboard as well as to connect cables and speakers for output from the breadboard.
The present invention can provide a system with means for constructing a breadboard that uses associated magnetic holders and a special case for external connections to fabricate an electronic circuit which is quickly built and easy to test and modify.
Advantageously, the inventive method and apparatus for building and testing electronic circuits provided unexpected, surprisingly good results.
A more detailed explanation of the invention is provided in the following description and appended claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.